ye and broken head
attested the vigor of his arm; but the glory of his achievements did not
screen him from being borne to the watchhouse, nor did his valor prevent
the magistrate in the morning from inflicting upon him a very decent
fine, which drew from him the indignant remark that--"'Tis a great
country, any how, where a man can't have a ginteel bit of a fight
without paying for it!"

The Corporal's case again looked desperate, when Pat left the "Pig Pen,"
for he was then without a protector from the vengeance of Jew Mike. But
the Jew did not appear inclined to assail the old man personally, though
his ferocious eyes still gleamed with rage. Standing apart, he held a
whispered conversation with Sow Nance, during which the Corporal could
occasionally overhear the words--'spy,' 'danger,' 'police,' 'murder,'
and the like. At last they seemed to arrive at some definite conclusion;
for the Jew came forward, and said--

"Old fellow, whoever you are, you have heard too much of our private
discourse, for our safety.--We must confine you, until such time as you
may succeed in convincing us that you meant no foul play in thus
intruding into our secret rendezvous."

The Corporal began to speak, but the Jew fiercely commanded him to be
silent. Meanwhile, Sow Nance had procured a rope, and ere the old man
was aware of her intention, she had seized and pinioned his arms with
great dexterity.

"Into the _Black Hole_ with him!" shouted the Jew. The poor Corporal was
hurried from the room, through a low, narrow door, along a dark, winding
passage, and soon found himself in a spacious cellar, crowded with
negroes, who were drinking "blue ruin" and smoking vile cigars. This
resort of the "colored society" was a place of the most degraded and
vicious kind, frequented by the lowest of the black population of Ann
street. At that period, respectable public houses for the exclusive
accommodation of the colored aristocracy, were very rare; and it is only
recently that the enterprise and public spirit of Mr. William E. Ambush
has established a _recherche_ and elegant Saloon in Belknap street,
bearing the poetical cognomen of "_The Gazelle_." We allude to this
latter place for the purpose of showing that however degraded may be the
colored denizens of Ann street, and however low their resorts, there are
nevertheless those of the same complexion who are elevated in their
notions of propriety, and strictly exclusive in their associations.